By David Morgan
(Reuters) – U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a Sunday Fox News interview that tariffs on Canada and Mexico will go into effect as planned on Tuesday, but that President Donald Trump will determine their exact levels.
Trump has said he will impose 25% tariffs on the two countries on March 4.
The two countries have “done a reasonable job” securing their U.S. borders and Trump is considering what the final tariff levels should be, Lutnick said.
“He’s sort of thinking about right now how exactly he wants to play with Mexico and Canada, and that is a fluid situation. There are going to be tariffs on Tuesday on Mexico and Canada. Exactly what they are, we’re going to leave that for the president and his team to negotiate,” he said.
Trump is also expected on Tuesday to raise tariffs on China from 10% to 20%, which is set unless the country ends fentanyl trafficking into the U.S., Lutnick said.
(Reporting by David Morgan and Leah Douglas; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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